Compelling Strangers
by AmberLS123
Summary: Based on a dream I had.


It was warm sunny spring day as she jogged around the trail at the small park. She heard the sound of children's laughter filling the air as they scampered about, swinging high on the swing set and jumping out of the seat to feel as if they were flying, taking turns on the monkey bars to see who could go the farthest, climbing up the slides instead of sliding down them. She smiled to herself, remembering her own childhood games she had played with her friends on that very playground years before. She met another jogger coming toward her, and had to move off the trail as their dog began to bark at her. Turning red with embarrassment, the dog's owner apologized profusely, scolding the dog for misbehaving, and tugging on his leash so he would come on. The girl smiled, assuring the other runner that no harm was done. Changing the song on her iPod to one that was more upbeat, she continued her route on the trail.

As she finished her workout, she walked leisurely back to her car, feeling proud of herself for actually sticking with one of her New Year's resolutions to exercise more. But as she made her way to the parking lot, she noticed that the place had suddenly grown quiet: no more sounds of laughter from the playground, no adults standing about talking, no dogs barking…even the birds had stopped singing. A sudden chill went through her as the wind began to blow softly, raising goosebumps on her arms. Feeling very uneasy, she stuffed her iPod into her pocket and pulled out her car keys as she walked swiftly through the parking lot.

She felt relieved as she finally laid eyes on her white '94 Honda Accord; but that relief was short-lived as she saw a tall blonde male leaning against the door on the driver's side. She'd never seen him before in her life, but as their eyes met, she smiled at her as if she were an old friend. He had soft kind brown eyes and brilliant white teeth. She couldn't help it as her gaze lingered on the muscled arms folded across his chest. His clothes were simple, a plain white t-shirt and black designer jeans. She even saw a white diamond earring sparkling in the light. Yet despite his friendly appearance, every instinct in her body screamed for her to run.

She immediately turned around to head back to into the park where all the people were, but bumped into another man who she didn't hear come up behind her. He was tall, dressed completely in black, with long dark hair that hung down in his face, and piercing blue eyes. She gasped as he held her there by the shoulders, and she tried to pull away.

"L-Let me go, or I'll scream," she threatened.

"Go ahead," he replied with a chuckle. "No one will be able to hear you."

"Behave yourself," the blonde reprimanded as he approached. "Remember the mission."

"W-What do you want?" the girl asked fearfully, still struggling in the dark one's iron-like grasp.

"We'll ask the questions from here on," the dark one replied sternly.

"Let me handle this," the blonde one said quietly, turning me around to face him as the other male glared at him in annoyance. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"None of your business," she replied angrily, shrugging away from him. She gasped as he suddenly placed both hands on her bare shoulders, and as she gazed mesmerized into his liquid golden brown eyes, her name seemed to slip forth unbidden from her lips.

"Amber."

"Amber." The girl's heart fluttered as her name rolled off his tongue, his voice velvety and melodious. "'A precious jewel.' Lovely name. Now Amber, all we want to know is what dealings you had with that man yesterday evening, and we will release you."

Her brows knitted together in confusion. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"This is getting us nowhere," the other one growled, and suddenly he whirled her about again. "What were you doing with Maleck?" he demanded.

She felt as if she would drown in those dark eyes as they pierced her wide chocolate brown one's. "I-I don't know who that is…" she replied fearfully.

"You're trying my patience," he said, his voice dangerously low. Holding her face firmly between his hands, he tilted the girl's head up to look at him. His eyes were the complete opposite from his companion's: cold, calculating, and dead. "Now I'm going to ask one more time…what were you doing with Maleck?"

"I don't remember," she replied quietly, again as if in a trance.

"She's telling the truth," the blonde one remarked. "maybe we were wrong-"

"No. I saw her with him."

"But what would he want with her?"

"That's just what we're going to find out," the dark one replied, gazing at her darkly. "One way or another."

….

She opened her eyes groggily, wincing as the bright light filtering in through the dirty window nearly blinded her. She tried to sit up, but then realized she couldn't move. She began to feel panicky as she saw that she was lying on a hard wooden table, her wrists and ankles chained to the legs of the table. Suddenly she remembered the encounter with the two men in the parking lot. They must have drugged her, because she had no recollection of how she came to be in this musty place, which appeared to be a ramshackle shack in the woods.

Suddenly the door creaked open, and she gulped nervously as the two males walked in. The blonde one leaned up against the wall casually, his golden eyes dark with worry. "I don't like this," he remarked.

"Well, your way didn't work; so now we're going to try mine." Her heart pounded in her chest as he bent down and placed his hands on the table, his dark shadow falling across her. "Now, my dear…I'm going to ask you calmly: why were you with Maleck yesterday?"

"I told you, I don't know," she replied again, shaking her head. "I don't know anyone with that name- Ah!"

She cried out as the man moved with lightening speed, and felt his mouth on her neck, his suddenly razor sharp teeth piercing the skin. It was the most odd and terrifying sensation she'd ever experienced as she felt the blood being drawn from her body.

"That's enough!" the blonde shouted, pulling the man away from her; but the darker one, clearly the stronger of the two, reacted by grabbing the blonde by the throat, and with superhuman strength, threw him against the wall in anger.

Hissing as he crouched in the floor, the blonde vampire glared up at his companion, who stood wiping the blood from his mouth. "Well, what else do you suggest we do?" he growled.

The girl shuddered as the dark haired vampire caressed her face ever so softly, as if she would break. Which she would, seeing as she was a human. She didn't know much about vampires, only what she had read in books and seen on TV, which she had always doubted was true. But it was painfully clear to her now that the creatures of the night were indeed real. She realized that they must have been compelling her this whole time to find out whatever it was they wished to know about this Maleck character, whom she guessed was an enemy of theirs. But even if she hadn't been compelled, she was telling the truth, because she had no recollection of this meeting they kept insisting she had with him the day before.

"She clearly doesn't remember," said the blonde. "Maleck must have erased her memory."

"Well, there is another way to find out what transpired between them." the other remarked thoughtfully as he gazed down at her. "But I'm afraid the experience will be rather…unpleasant for our guest." The girl began to tremble in fear, wondering what they would do to her. "But if done properly," he continued, "it will jog her memory, and hopefully we will learn dear Maleck's intentions." She trembled again as he leaned down over her and brushed her short brown hair away from her neck. "This will require a tremendous amount of Power, so I am afraid I need all the strength I can get." She couldn't help a soft whimper escaping her lips as she felt his hot breath on her neck; but thankfully, he was much more this time, and she only felt a small prick as he fed.

"Now, my dear," he said as he straightened back up. "I need you to concentrate. You will feel a great deal of discomfort, but I advise that you simply give in. Do not fight it, as it will only cause pain to you."

She lay perfectly still, petrified with fear as he began to slowly move his hands in the air mere inches from her body. He began to chant something in an unknown language, and she felt a strange tingling sensation spreading throughout her body.

"Concentrate," he ordered. She did so obediently, closing her eyes as she tried to remember what had happened yesterday. Vague images flashed through her mind of her talking and laughing with a man with light brown hair. They had sat on the hill behind the playground at the park, watching the sun set. His green eyes gazed into hers lovingly, and he wrapped his strong arms around her. His kisses trailed from her lips to her cheek to her neck, and she tilted her head back expectantly as his teeth pierced the skin. But this was so much different from her experience with the other two vampires. There was such love radiating from him that it didn't hurt at all, and she felt a bit proud knowing that her blood was giving him strength.

But suddenly, the pleasant image was broken as a sharp, excruciating pain erupted in her chest as the vampire's hand hovered over her heart. It felt as if her entire body was on fire, and she screamed, arching her back as she writhed in pain on the table.

A few agonizing moments later, the man removed his hand, and the pain subsided. A dark fog seemed to cloud her mind as she lay there motionless, her attention solely focused on the vampire hovering over her.

"What did you do?" the blonde asked worriedly.

"Maleck must have compelled her to forget about him…but fortunately, I was able to overpower it. You see, the stronger a vampire becomes, the more Power he comes to possess. I, my friend, am infinitely more powerful than Maleck, and so my compulsion was able to overcome his. It just requires a bit more effort. Now, my dear," he said, speaking to the hypnotized girl on the table, his velvety voice sounding distant as his cold blue eyes bore into hers. "What transpired between the two of you yesterday evening?"

She gazed at him with half lidded eyes, completely entranced by his gaze. She remembered everything now. "We were talking," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Maleck said his enemies were getting closer, and told me he had to leave. He didn't want me to get hurt because of him." Tears suddenly came into her eyes at the memory. "He wanted to share one last sunset with me…before he went away…"

"Where did he go?" the vampire asked sternly, holding his hand over her again.

"I-I don't know!" she cried, feeling the burning sensation come back. "Please, I don't know…h-he didn't tell me…!"

The vampire removed his hand. "Go on," he instructed.

Gasping for breath, she continued. "I…I gave him some of my blood, so he would be strong…he kissed me goodbye…and then he compelled me to forget."

The room was quiet for several moments, filled with only the sound of her soft breathing as she remained deep in trance.

"Well…" said the blonde with a sigh. "Now what?"

"Simple," replied the dark one, twirling one of the girl's curls around his finger. "We will pick up our search at the park where the two lovebirds shared their romantic evening."

"I suppose we'll have to get rid of her," he grumbled, not happy with the idea at all.

"Not necessarily. She is clearly important to Maleck; therefore, she may prove to be of further use in the future. Besides, cleaning up is always such a hassel."

The blonde flashed her a brilliant smile, his fangs glistening in the light. "And we'll need plenty of energy if we're to continue our hunt."

"True. And it would be a shame to waste such a delectable treat."

As the fog lifted from her mind, the girl grew frightened again, and renewed her struggles, causing the chains on her wrists and ankles to clang together noisily.

"Don't be afraid," the dark vampire whispered, caressing her cheek softly as he stared into her eyes again. "Just relax…"

She felt an instant calm come over her, and ceased her attempts to free herself. The two vampires leaned over her, and she closed her eyes as they brought their mouths down to her neck.

…..

A loud buzzing sound caused the girl to jump in surprise. Rubbing her eyes groggily, she reached over into the passenger seat and began rifling through her purse for her cell phone. It was a text from Mom wondering where she was. Shaking her head in confusion, she quickly texted her back to let her know she was okay and on her way home. She must have been even more tired from her workout than she thought she was and fallen asleep in her car. As she turned the keys in the ignition, she was aware of a stinging sensation on her neck, and she pulled down the mirror from the ceiling. There were four little puncture marks on both sides of her neck. _Stupid mosquitoes_, she thought annoyingly as they began to itch.

Turning around in her seat, she began to back the car out of the parking space, and drove around to the entrance of the park. She waited as two pedestrians crossed the road. They seemed…eerily familiar as they passed in front of her car. The blonde one smiled at her pleasantly, while the dark haired one winked at her roguishly. She blushed furiously, feeling her skin crawl for some reason, and drove off towards home.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Warning is there for mild violence.<strong>

**You'll never believe this, but this was another dream I had yesterday. I've been sick, so I felt really crappy and decided to take a nap, and _ this _is what my twisted mind conjured up in my dreams**

**I've tried to recount it as accurately as I could. I admit I made up the ending where I woke up in my car...I actually woke up in the middle of the two vampires feeding on me**

**The two bad vamps remained nameless through the entire thing, but for some reason, they kept talking about "Maleck"... I don't even know if that's a real name. I've certainly never heard it before. And the park we were at is a real place. I actually used to play there when I was little, so I can kinda understand why I would dream of it. Why I would dream of vampires though makes no sense. XD**

**Anyway...definitely one of the most scary dreams I've ever had**


End file.
